With Binta Jaiteh
Welcome to this our maiden edition of The Voice segment known as One-On-One, whereby prominent and relevant people from all walks of life will always feature to tell their stories. In this maiden edition, we feature one of the nation’s lawmakers, Honorable Ndey Yassin Secka.
In this interview, the nominated National Assembly Member has talked about her disability and her efforts, as MP, for other people living with disabilities, while she encouraged them to choose wisely when it is time to vote.
The Voice: In brief, can you tell our readership your educational history?
Ndey Yassin Secka: I started my education at Kampama School for The Blind where I later moved to St Joseph’s High School. At St Joseph’s High School I got a scholarship to go study in the United Kingdom, it is there I furthered my education.
There is a special school called Dotting School for Further Educating (FE), it’s for visually impaired persons. And later on, I did my administrative and brain technology, computer science, orientation and mobility course. In addition to know more about other persons with disabilities because you cannot concentrate on only one side of the disabilities.
After completing those studies, I came to work with the Department of Social Welfare as Assistant of Social Welfare and I was taken to the national rehabilitation center where all types of disabilities are supposed to be but catered only for persons with physically-challenged.
The Voice: As a person with disability, how are you considered in your community?
Ndey Yassin Secka: We (not only me) are always considered as persons with disabilities and it depend on you and your educational background, and also how you want people to consider you. The moment you have disability in this country you are term as nothing, that being the case discrimination is part of it. Dependency and literacy are always high as far as persons with disability are concerned.
The Voice: As a Member of Parliament, what are you doing to help your colleagues?
Ndey Yassin Secka: As far as we are concerned, I always trying and make sure that persons with disabilities are considered as normal human beings because we also contributed our resources to the country either directly or indirectly. People should consider us as part of the society, and stop the discrimination act we face. However, I urge my fellow persons with disabilities not to allow anyone to discriminate them from others as we all have the same rights.
The Voice: If you can stretch a little bit, what are you advocating for?
Ndey Yassin Secka: Even before being an MP, I always advocate for persons with disabilities to be part of the society. To eradicates discrimination and be as diplomatic like anyone, because we are also useful in the society. That being the case, a conducive environment should be catered for. Nobody should do that but the government; thank God they are doing that for us to have freedom and leadership. We want to come up with our divergent views because persons with disability are not similar, they are different. Some are coming up with their views and say whatever they feel like without any problem, gone are the days when persons with disability used to be arrested for begging. We all witnessed what was going on with persons with disabilities but nonetheless we have advocated until the disability bill was passed. All thanks go to the government for doing that awesome job, and now we are waiting for the president to ascend to it so that we can know what to do.
The Voice: Since many of them face discriminatory challenges, is there anything doing to assist them?
Ndey Yassin Secka: First of all, what we need is to educate persons with disabilities and also let people know that we are not objects of charity and beggars. Charity is given to disabilities, why not other person who need it. But just because we are disables it does not mean every charity should be directed to us.
We can work better like other people provided that the necessary needs are available. We want to make sure that anything we do is done amicably. We don’t want to make mistakes because we have seen how people are taking us. Everything should be done effectively and efficiently. We need nothing but education and structure, physically challenged need the structure for hearing to access all the buildings.
Visually impaired need assistance climbing the stairs. We need rails to be able to access the stairs, we need orientation and mobility experts who can train people with the visually impaired to know how to use the cane.
Albinos also need special equipment like lens, large print that will protect them from danger, when it comes to hearing impairment; they need hearing aids which will help them to know what people are saying. We also need sign language interpreters effectively, and social welfare funding for all types of disabilities will be included.
As far as you want to cater for persons with disabilities that is why I always say disability is a package, look at the mentally challenged. They need people who will rehabilitate them so that they can recover and come back to society.
Mental challenge is nothing but only the absent minded, we have a very good counselor who can bring them back, is like a prisoner. Some people say prisoners are also disabilities. They need rehabilitation. Being a prisoner does not mean you are bad as everyone is bound to make mistakes. There is no religion that says you should beat your wife neither Islam nor Christianity, this are things that we really want to put on board. I thank God as a person with a disability but I know how to handle them and would also love everyone to sing this song like a person with disability should be catered for.
The Voice: Considering your situation, what was the reaction of the people when you were nominated to the National Assembly?
Ndey Yassin Secka: I received a lot of congratulatory and goodwill messages to be honest, because I was not even expecting that I will ever be part of the National Assembly members, as a nominated member for that matter. It was really a surprise and I thank Gambians and non-Gambians for their support and courage they entrusted to me to lead them to the right path.
The Voice: Finally, as the election is fast approaching, what are you doing as MP for your colleagues’ voice to be heard?
Ndey Yassin Secka: Persons with disability should be part of elections, we should be allowed to vote and vote secretly just like any other human being. Let the political parties come to us and say they need our votes, let them not force us to vote for them and I urge every person with disability not to leave ourselves with any party.
We should read their manifesto and see what they have for us if they don’t have any manifesto for people with disabilities. Say bye, bye to them. Election is one day and the term is five years so how will we be if they don’t have anything for the disabilities.
We want to share the national cake together as Gambians no matter what everybody in this world has disability in one way or the other. Is only Allah who does not have disability but everyone has disability because some are short, tall, absent minded, but they are mere disabilities? Non-comfortableness is also part of disability and things you cannot do even being a president, cleaner or whatever you must need someone by your side to assist you. Interdependency should be available as we have abilities and that God cannot close every door if he closes one the other will be available.
Basically, I urge everyone to share what we have for the betterment of this country. The reason why our country is dragging is because we are not allowed to do what we can but we will continue to fight.